Ox tongue curry

Here is something a little unusual but I promise you this is something else, very special and definitely worth a try. I am 100% sure you will love this, Ox tongue curry!!

It is an inexpensive delicacy that you and anyone that enjoys meat must try and this is all I can say. It might sound off for some but it’s lovely. You can best experience Its texture and unique subtle flavour by preparing it in a curry!!

I love ox tongue in general and I cook it a few ways (I will come back with a few more recipes but I feel that, as a nice spicy curry, it is the ultimate way of eating this delicate piece of meat.

Cleaning the ox tongue can prove a little fiddly and tricky but it’s not impossible. Don’t panic, you will get there! Results will really be paying off, I promise! I never follow the standard cleaning techniques which requires a long amount of time boiling it and then scraping it off… and I will tell you why, mainly because you will really spoil its taste, texture and so on. It is no longer the same.

I am a little cheeky when it comes to cleaning it, since I always ask my husband to help me and he patiently peels it all off and cleans it to perfection. I’m lucky, I know that! I get loads of help, bless!! 👼🏼

I will explain how he cleans it, which is a very easy technique: with a pretty sharp knife he starts on one side and shaves off the rough top of the tongue, the one that you can see, the top of the tongue with all the taste buds. 😉

If you boil the ox tongue for hours, as many people tend to clean this, you will lose the specific ox tongue texture. It just becomes all too overly cooked and I’d rather not bother at all, because the only reason I am having it is mainly for the different textures that this piece of meat can offer. Truly amazing.

So, if your partner is willing to help, pass it on 😜 for cleaning. Do it quick so there isn’t any swift mind changing. 😂

I don’t have to write more about it and I’d rather get down to telling more specifics about this ox tongue curry recipe.

I thought of making this for Christmas, this time because of all the unhealthy foods I enjoyed eating recently, especially all those pastry deserts (I know they’re a no-no, but I cannot resist them); and, let’s face it, Christmas is the time that we indulge ourselves slightly or overly with everything becoming so tempting all of a sudden… what can I choose in terms of healthy food?

My choice for this year is an ox tongue curry, and here’s the recipe for it.

Enjoy!

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Ox tongue curry

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 ox tongue (approx. 900g - 1.1 kg)
• 1 large onion
• 2 tbsp curry powder (for hot)
• 1 green chili (fresh)
• 1/2 tsp seeds (mixed)
• 8-10 leaves curry (fresh, frozen or dry)
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1/2 can tomato (chopped)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 pepper (freshly ground)
• 1/2 tsp ginger (grated)
• 1/2 lemon (its juice)
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Cut the cleaned tongue into desired size chunks/pieces pieces - I usually, for curry I cut smaller pieces of about 1-2cm sq. (little cubes). Add the salt, the curry powder and mix well to coat the meat. Set aside for as long as you wish but, the longer the better.
2. Meanwhile, peel wash and chop the onion. Wash the fresh chilli, peel the garlic.
3. Place a cooking pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and a little water or oil if you wish. As you know I do not fry so I would drizzle some water just enough to help the onion cook and soften slightly.
4. Add to the onion the seeds and the fresh chilli(s) cut into halves lengthwise. Cook for one minute or two until the water has run out and the onion is nice and slightly soft. All in all cook for about 3 mins.
5. Add the tongue which has marinated for a while ( even overnight if you fancy - it’s amazing), add some water (aprox. 200ml) and stir. Cover and cook for about 15-20 min.
6. Add the chopped tomato, the tomato paste, the garlic, ginger, grind some black/mixed pepper, curry leaves. Stir, cover and cook for another 10-12 min.
7. Remove from heat, allow to cool for 2 min and give the lemon a good old squeeze making sure no pips are going into the curry as those are not pleasant to bite into.
8. Serve on a nice basmati or jasmine rice or with my lovely homemade flat bread and along side a beautiful dhal. Oh, absolutely delicious - there is nothing more I could say.